keizai

Keizai (経済) is the Japanese term for the economy and, more broadly, for the system of production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services within a country or region. It also denotes the field of economics as an academic discipline and the policy areas that govern economic activity. The concept includes macroeconomic elements such as gross domestic product, inflation, unemployment, and fiscal and monetary policy, as well as microeconomic topics like supply and demand, pricing, and firm behavior. In practice, keizai is a central focus across government, business, media, and academia when discussing growth, living standards, trade, and financial stability.

Keizai is written with the kanji 経 and 済 and is borrowed from the Chinese word jīngjì (经济). The Japanese term has been a central concept since the modernization of the country in the late 19th century, with policy and analysis increasingly organized around economic considerations.

In contemporary use, keizai encompasses national economic planning and analysis, international trade and finance, and the study of how resources are allocated efficiently. It is taught in universities as keizai-gaku (economics), and policymakers refer to keizai-seisaku (economic policy) in discussions of growth and stability.